British Celebrate the Coronation with Neighborhood Parties and a Great Concert
The British celebrate the coronation of Charles III and Queen Camila on Sunday with great neighborhood meals in the middle of the street and a pop concert in honor of the monarchs in front of Windsor Castle.
After the pomp and solemnity of the Saturday ceremony at Westminster Abbey, according to a ritual that has not changed for a thousand years, the time has come for the population to celebrate this new chapter in the history of their monarchy.
Charles III, who ascended the throne in September after the death of Elizabeth II, who reigned for 70 years, she inherited a country facing major challenges. These range from secessionist aspirations in Scotland and Northern Ireland to the serious cost-of-living crisis, including a review of the colonial past of the country that does not leave the monarchy exempt, investigated for its alleged ties to the slave trade.
The 74-year-old king, who lived all his life in the immense shadow of his mother, aspires to modernize the institution, making it less expensive and closest to the population. He and Camila, 75, hope that the long weekend – Monday was declared a holiday – “will be the opportunity to celebrate and spend time with friends, families and communities,” said the Palace Buckingham.
Great Meal and Music
For the “great meal” organized in neighborhoods across the country, they proposed making a “coronation quiche”, a vegetarian recipe that they shared on their Twitter account. Its ingredients are spinach, broad beans, tarragon, milk, cream , eggs and cheddar cheese. It is a dish that “easily adapts to different tastes and preferences,” they explained in a video of a chef who prepared the recipe. “It can be eaten hot or cold with a green salad and boiled new potatoes,” he added.
Neighborhood gatherings of this type had already marked the celebrations for the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, a historic moment of celebration after the hard post-war years.
While the king and queen are recovering from the hustle and bustle of the day before, other members of their family took over on Sunday to represent the monarchy, led by Princess Ana, the 72-year-old sister of the king, who was to attend a street party in Windsor.
In this small town, about 40 km west of London, a great concert will be held at night in front of the centenary castle of the monarchs. In the absence of British superstars such as Elton John, Adele, Ed Sheeran or Harry s, who found reasons not to participate, the bill is headed by American artists Lionel Richie and Katy Perry. In front of 20,000 spectators installed in the castle gardens, the show will also feature the veteran “boy’s band” from Manchester Take That and promises moments of surprise with the participation of actor Tom Cruise and the endearing Winnie the Pooh bear.
Dancers from the Royal Ballet, singers from the Royal Opera, actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company, performers from the Royal College of Music and members of the Royal College of Art will they will unite in an exceptional performance.
Anti-Monarchists Released
Carlos III and Camila were crowned on Saturday in a modernized and simplified ceremony compared to the previous ones, but which still saw the display of three crowns set with diamonds and ancient clothing embroidered with gold. Punctuated with music, songs, sermons and readings from the Gospels before 2,300 guests, including a hundred heads of state and government and representatives of other monarchies, he linked the current monarchy to its long past.
However, it was marred by the arrest of fifty of protesters, including anti-monarchists and environmentalists. They were arrested, many even before their protests began, thanks to a new law, enacted in an accelerated manner this week, which gives greater powers to the police against demonstrations.
The anti-monarchist movement Republic announced the Saturday night that its members had been released after 16 hours of detention. “The right to demonstrate no longer exists in the United Kingdom,” its director, Graham Smith, denounced on Twitter. “I have often been told that the monarch served to defend our liberties; now our liberties are attacked in his name,” she lashed out.
